NOTES. 249 



NUMBERS OF YOUNG IN THE BROODS OF 

 SWALLOWS AND HOUSE-MARTINS IN 1910. 



Having marked nearly two hundred of these birds during the 

 summer of 1910, perhap? the numbers in each brood may be 

 of interest, as showing the small proj)ortion of full broods in 

 north Lancashire, where all these were marked ; indeed all 

 but six broods were within a mile of the towTi of Lancaster. 



Twenty-five nests of Swallows [Hirundo rustica) were visited 

 during June and July, and of these eleven were full broods of 

 five, nine of four, and five of three. During August out of 

 twenty broods, only four were of five, eight were of four, three 

 of three, and no less than five of two only ; while during 

 September two broods of three were marked. One brood of 

 four in June contained a dead young one in addition, and 

 the same applies to two broods of three and four in August. 



Small broods were, however, more noticeable in the case of 

 House-Martins, in which I failed to find a full brood during 

 the whole summer. Of ten nests visited during June and 

 July, four contained four young, four contained three, and 

 two only two ; and the only two nests visited in August 

 contained four and three respectively. In a certain cart-shed 

 at one farm there were over a dozen Martins' nests, in all of 

 which (except one, which contained two healthy young) the 

 young were dead in the nest, although no old birds had 

 been shot there, and there were plenty flying about. 



Bad as the past summer was, it was far eclipsed by that of 

 1909, which was the worst year I ever remember. True I was 

 not marking in June, but in July I could only find six broods 

 of Swallows — three of four and three of three, two in August 

 of four and three respectively, and three in September of four, 

 three and one. House-Martins were worse off still, tlie only 

 two broods I could find in July containing but two young 

 each, and the only two in August two and three young each. 



I also noticed in 1910 that the eggs took longer to deposit 

 than usual, and I also found a number of forsaken eggs, for 

 which I can find no reason. H. W. Robinson. 



ALBINISTIC VARIETY OF GREENFINCH. 

 On October 15th, 1910, I shot in South Holderness, Yorkshire, 

 an apparently pure white bird among a flock of Sparrows. 

 On handling it, however, the whole of the plumage, with the 

 exception of the nape and tips of the remiges, which were 

 white, was found to be suffused with sulphur-yellow ; the 

 beak, feet and legs were pale horn-colour. 



